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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. squash — the sport
  3. chair — a leader
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. rock — music
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. game — a match
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. roll — a list
  13. game — wild animals
  14. roll — a cake
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. rock — a stone
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. squash — to crush
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. stand — to bear
  24. foot — a measure

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com